In brief:
Infected cyst?

Certainly you can get an abscess of the parotid gland, which usually is a lymph node inside the gland that gets infected and then abscessed.

But when you have a child with the issue, you need to consider that they have a cyst that was infected, namely a type 1 branchial cleft cyst. Alternatively, a lymphatic malformation that gets infected can do this. Consider seeing a pediatric ENT for this.

In brief:
Infected cyst?

Certainly you can get an abscess of the parotid gland, which usually is a lymph node inside the gland that gets infected and then abscessed.

But when you have a child with the issue, you need to consider that they have a cyst that was infected, namely a type 1 branchial cleft cyst. Alternatively, a lymphatic malformation that gets infected can do this. Consider seeing a pediatric ENT for this.
Would you like to video or text chat with me?